When ‘intolerant’ Kiran Bedi blocked me on twitter because I asked difficult question on TV programme

The guest for the show was the former IPS officer, Kiran Bedi, who had led the BJP’s assembly elections campaign in Delhi as a chief ministerial candidate quite unsuccessfully in February last year.

On the show, I asked several questions including her stand on Modi government and, most crucially, her own intolerance on twitter.

I asked her if it was acceptable for her to be so intolerant on social media just because an individual either criticised her or had a constructive feedback to give.

While asking this question, I made it abundantly clear that there was absolutely nothing wrong for the celebrated IPS officer to block a user if someone was being uncivil or resorted to insults and abuses against her.

I also reminded her about her days with Anna movement, which championed the need for engaging with public and the need for dialogue.

The question was linked with my own experience as we realised very early that Bedi had blocked jantakareporter.com soon after we launched the portal in May last year.

The revelation was shocking given that we had never done a story on her, let alone criticising her from our platform. It was also because jantakareporter.com was launched several months after Delhi elections and she had clearly faded out of public memory because of the crushing defeats faced by both Bedi and her party.

Obviously, I was disappointed when told that Bedi had blocked my portal.

Our ideological differences aside, there’s little denying the truth that our generation grew up reading about heroics of Bedi. She was an icon to a large group of my generation.

That’s precisely what I conveyed her even after the show. Bedi told me that she was ‘shocked’ to learn thatjantakareporter.com appeared in the list of those she had blocked just because her views didn’t match with them.

“It must have been an inadvertent error. I only block people who are insulting and abusive,” Bedi said.

I couldn’t have agreed with her more.

She asked me to text her the twitter handle of jantakareporter.com, so that she could unblock it.

However, far from fulfilling her promise, she has now blocked my personal twitter handle as well. It’s all because I grilled her on her inconsistencies on the show.

Of course, Bedi denied having read any of these reports. All she had read or watched was someone in Pakistan’s Dawn News praise Modi.

I also asked her if she ever cared about the fact that the glaring inconsistencies in her stand and desperate defence for often indefensible issues had led her to fall off pedestal for many who once saw her as an icon.

Bedi, in her inimitable style, said she didn’t care at all on what people thought of her.

Bedi’s behaviour summed up the annihilation the saffron party faced in Delhi under her leadership. Just imagine the fate of Delhi under her, who clearly isn’t a votary of engaging with ordinary public and the members of the media.

I can’t help but draw a parallel with her former colleagues Arvind Kejrieal (now Delhi chief minister) and Kumar Vishwas (now senior AAP leader) and how they handled my questions on the same show on ABP News.

Anybody, who watched those programmes would remember that I was more menacing to them than how I asked put forward my question to Bedi. They have neither unblocked nor unfollowed me or jantakareporter.com.

6 COMMENTS

Unfortunately she is lying that she only blocks who is abusive, I have never even re tweeted any post with such abusive languages, only thing I had done that had asked her point of view on some typical hypocrite story long back, but instead of reply, she and her supporting account mmdvv as well

Miya rifat, what you achieve by this ??? BJP will not going to project her as CM candidate in next Delhi election. So relax Kejriwal’ pet dog. Instead you should start guessing who will be declared next BJP CM candidate, and only then you should manufactured fake news about him/her. Anyway miya, u have also championed tolerance by blocking a high number of bhakts. Why miya ??? Did tolerance apply only to Bedi?? Miya write something for punjab or lord kejriwal will loss. Opps miya’s Janta ka reporter is a joke.Who takes it seriously….

some morons are obsessed by the reactionary papers such as New York times coming to their aid.They have their own agenda. repress palistinions and then pontificate to India about being intolarent to Moslem. New York Times is the most dogmaticand patronizing newspaer Tehy will gladly publish everything by sycophants like Pankaj Mishra but nithing by Rajiv Malhotra. This Narciisstic newspaer has never acknowledged India;s contributuon to Math science or philosophy. So keep kissing up to them. Theuy will throw you some scraps.
Legitmate paer The New york times my toilet paper

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